Tyrese, Heart, Sage Francis, Musiq Soulchild, Rush & GWAR

Tyrese

HOT RHYMES:
In a world of starlets getting arrested on DUI and drug charges, it's good to see that hip-hop and R&B artists like Tyrese are keeping it together. Tyrese is doing so well in his career that he plans to release a new rap album this summer, Black Rose, after releasing his Alter Ego album earlier this year. His smooth style and hot body got his career started as a model. He later moved to music and singing, but now that he's a musical artist, there's an army of women who appreciate seeing him live. Opening for Tyrese at the Mezzanine show will be Jimmie Reign, a good-looking girl from the Bay Area singing R&B. Advance VIP tickets are available to get up close and personal with Tyrese and Jimmie, so check it out before you miss out.

Smashing Pumpkins

PUMPKIN PIE:
After a month-long residency at The Fillmore and one show at the Santa Cruz Civic, we're still sad to see The Smashing Pumpkins leave. Billy Corgan put on some amazing performances throughout the month, often keeping the crowd on their feet for three-plus-hour performances, ending in eerie noise-rock. The Pumpkins have been doing a fair job of playing all their hits and plenty of the new stuff. For their last show celebrating Zeitgeist's No. 2 position on music charts, who knows how late the Pumpkins will rock into the night.

Santa Clara County Fair

TIME WARP:
Americana lives at county fairs, even in counties where farm implements have been supplanted by freeways and chip factories. The Santa Clara County Fair, which has been struggling of late, returns in expanded form this year. Musical acts--Sha Na Na, Elvin Bishop, Starship--are as redolent of a better past as the Carrot on a String Eating Contest and Bubble Gum Blowing Contest, not to mention all the competitions for baking, quilting and shearing.

The Rentals

RENT TO OWN:
The Rentals, fronted by Matt Sharp (former bass player of Weezer), re-formed in 2005 after a six-year hiatus. This mellow indie-rock group is slated to release their new EP, The Last Little Life on August 14, making it the first new material they've released in eight years. In addition to Matt Sharp, the band includes Rachel Haden on backup vocals, Sara Radle on vocals and multiple instruments, Ben Pringle (from Nerf Herder) on synthesizer, Lauren Chipman on viola and Dan Joeright on drums. The unique instrumentation and vocals create an enchanting, almost hypnotic sound. Copeland and Goldenboy open.

Rush

PRINCES OF PROG:
For all of Rush's technical brilliance, it's still easy for Rush haters to make their case against the prog-est of all prog bands--all it really takes is an unflattering imitation of Geddy Lee's nasally whine, and maybe a falsetto imitation of any number of cheesy synthesizer riffs to sink even the most passionate and technically literate pro-Rush argument. But for true believers who know that Lee is a god on the bass and Neil Peart is the greatest drummer ever existing in the space-time continuum (besides John Bonham), the argument was over before it even began. Alex Lifeson also performs--after all, he is Rush's guitarist.

Heart

STILL BEATING:
With hit songs like "Magic Man," "Barracuda" and "Alone," it shouldn't come as a surprise that Heart is still selling out venues more than three decades since their formation. Heart's songs have been featured in several notable movies, including Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle, Swingers, Charlie's Angels and Shrek the Third. Though the show is a bit pricey, true Heart fans won't be disappointed by the Mountain Winery's small concert venue.

Thu. Aug. 2, 5:30pm
Metro's Music in the Park
Plaza de Cesar Chavez
Market St. and Park Ave.,
San Jose
Free

Jackie Greene

DYLANESQUE:
Some bands make great studio albums and totally suck live, but Jackie Greene has kind of the opposite problem. His studio albums consistently lack that certain I-don't-know-what that make his live performances so compelling. Greene blends the blues with a rootsy Americana vibe that is sometimes country, sometimes Dylanesque and sometimes lite alt-rock. He's a skilled piano, guitar and harmonica player, and his voice sounds ages older than his tender 26 years, all of which enables him to pull off impressive and engaging solo shows. He also recently became a member of Phil Lesh and Friends, the Grateful Dead bassist's Dead cover band, but for this Music in the Park performance, it's all about Greene tunes.

Lee 'Scratch' Perry & Charlie Hunter Trio

RASTAMAN VIBRATION:
His behavior may be erratic, his dress ridiculous, but if there's one thing that can be said about Scratch that is absolutely certain, it's that reggae music would pretty much suck without him. Think about it--the guy not only wrote groundbreaking hits of his own, he also produced some of the most important acts in reggae's early history, one of them being Bob freakin' Marley. Let's just say the prophetic rastaman and his wailin' Wailers probably wouldn't have been able to jam it with you the way they did without the help of Scratch on the mixing board. Marley or not, Scratch, along with King Tubby, practically invented the smooth sounds of dub, transforming roots reggae into a more pop-inclined brand of tripped out dancehall. Though Scratch celebrated his 70th birthday last year, the reggae icon continues to skank his way around the world, touring with the same audacity that first brought out the masses in Jamaica so long ago.

Rhythm Ritual @ Vault

RHYTHM IS GONNA GET YOU:
Vault's weekly Thursday night event, Rhythm Ritual, brings in DJs Jeno and David Harness to get the dancing going throughout the ultra luxurious lounge. Taking over the upstairs area with '80s, disco, funk and house will be David Q along with Jesse Martinez and Jay Rees. These guys are going to drop it like it's hot for all the party people in Vault, living the high life and soaking up the class on a fine Thursday evening.

GWAR on Sounds of the Underground Tour

FREAK SHOW:
In case you've never heard of the heavy-metal freak-circus known as GWAR, here's a quick rundown in four words: blood, puke, insanity and blood (yes, I know I used blood twice, but only to emphasize my point). The Sounds of the Underground headliners began where KISS left off, taking the stage show to a whole new level of grotesque debauchery. A normal concert leaves the audience drenched in blood, piss and vomit (all fake of course) while vile acts of sex and violence are committed onstage. Meanwhile, power-chords and distorted guitars provide the soundtrack to the heavy-metal mayhem. And though you might write them off, these guys can actually play. The evening features a host of underground metal acts including Shadows Fall, Chimaira, Every Time I Die, locals Heavy Heavy Low Low and SoCal's new rock sensation, 2 Cents.

First Friday

ART SCENE:
Come support all things local with San Jose bands Day One Symphony and Worker Bee at the downtown San Jose art gallery Anno Domini. Day One Symphony will be pumping out electro rock beats in full force after a nearly fatal car crash involving all four members. Worker Bee will also be rockin' out in amped-up form. Live music, unique wares and local artists' exhibitions will make you proud to call yourself a local (as if you weren't swollen with pride already). Doctor Nurse also performs.

Crème de la Crème @ VooDoo

WHIPPED CRÈME:
It's going to be a wild and crazy night at VooDoo on Friday with Audioaerobiks and DJ As-Is presenting Crème de la Crème--that's the "best of the best" for you non-Frenchies--with classics from the '70s, '80s and '90s in the mix throughout the night. With bottle service and the trendy atmosphere in the VooDoo Lounge, it seems only natural to have the cream of the crop at the Friday night affair. The event will be held every third Friday of the month, so don't worry if you're not the crème de la crème this week, perhaps you'll have better luck next month.

Daryl Hall and John Oates

OUT OF TOUCH:
Ego Trip rarely gets it wrong, but on the issue of who deserves a ghetto pass--Hall & Oates or Phil Collins?--come on, this should be a no-brainer. Collins may have worked with Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Earth Wind & Fire's Philip Bailey, but H&O worked with David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks and have soul for days. Party DJs spin "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)" and "Say It Ain't So" without irony and "Out of Touch" drove B-boys crazy. Collins declining stock can be summed up in two words: Tarzan soundtrack. Collins stacks chips from Disney but Hall & Oates stacks hits like pancakes: "Sara Smile," "Rich Girl," "Private Eyes," "Kiss On My List," "Maneater," "Family Man," "Method of Modern Love," etc. It's time to recognize Hall & Oates for what they are: damn good blue-eyed pop soul men.

Fusion @ Angels

SUGAR HIGH:
The grand opening of Angels' new club night, Fusion, is kicking things off on Friday night with super sweet drink deals--hello, 2-for-1 before 11pm--and even better deals for those celebrating birthdays. The first 100 ladies into the club get a rose and complimentary chocolate-covered strawberries, which pretty much ensures a sugar coma by the end of the night. DJs Jammin J, J Espinosa and Jason Dee--hope they didn't pick them all out of the 'j' section of the phonebook--will be "ndamixx," which we believe translates to "in the mix." To cap things off, two full bars will be working overtime all night.

Lee Konitz

STANFORD JAZZ:
The Chicago alto-sax player shared the stage and recording studio with Miles Davis for two years, and many other jazz heavyweights besides. Konitz's cool tone and rollicking improvisations earned him great respect as a solo artist, recording for numerous big-name jazz labels including Prestige, Dragon and Soul Note. The storied sax-man is known for his explorative approach to music, dabbling in multiple forums including free-bop, trad-jazz and even classical.

Glamorous @Fahrenheit

GLAMOUR SHOTS:
It's that time of the month again--Fahrenheit gets glam with giveaways and DJs spinning amazing dance music. The Glamorous event will feature DJ Fabian mixing things up with Top 40 and house, and Funky B gets things even hotter on the turntables throughout the night. Forget about getting stupid or hyphy, Fahrenheit Ultra Lounge puts on some of the most upscale parties and events in the South Bay. Make sure to get glam for this event because "dress to impress" is the way to go at Fahrenheit. You can dance in the streets and ghost ride the whip any night, but this Friday, park your scrapper and head to Fahrenheit's glamour night.

Violent Femmes

LET ME GO ON:
The Violent Femmes do a damn good cover of the Batman theme song, but they're better known for "Gone Daddy Gone" and "Blister in the Sun." These pioneers of folk-punk stopped writing new music and currently play renditions of their past hits to crowds of faithful fans. Gordon Gano is the lead vocalist, Victor DeLorenzo is on drums, Brian Ritchie plays guitar and bass, John Sparrow plays the cajon (a percussion box instrument), and the Horns of Dilemma fill out the band with trumpets, a mandolin and another guitar. Another blast from the past, '80s guitar band True West opens.

Rufus Wainwright

GAY MESSIAH:
Rufus Wainwright has it all: teen idol good looks, an astounding vocal range, formidable songs with catchy hooks and certainly the proper rock pedigree (his parents are renowned folk artists Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle). He's been hailed as the greatest songwriter of his generation by NME and the best on the planet by Elton John. He's also been in many high-profile films, either onscreen (The Aviator) or on the soundtrack (Brokeback Mountain). The elaborate nature of Wainwright's music is often described as "baroque pop" or "popera." Many of the 34-year-old's compositions are densely packed, dizzying amalgams of strings, horns, operatic choruses, ragtime rhythms and his own distinctively warm vocal timbre. A given song can evoke everything from Leonard Cohen, Queen and Pet Sounds-era Beach Boys to Tin Pan Alley and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Whether or not he'll bring all his sides to the show this week, Wainwright's new material, while not the stripped-down compositions he'd intended, fit nicely with his current surrender to lavish tendencies.

Julius Papp @ Vault

PAPP SMEAR:
Julius Papp, a house DJ and producer, will be spinning in Vault's main room Saturday night for his CD-release party. Papp is a recovering Canadian who moved to Los Angeles in the '80s to become part of the club scene and eventually made his way north, settling in San Francisco. Today Papp stays true to his disco and New Wave roots, effortlessly smearing in Latin and jazz to create a deep, soulful style. Morrison, Albert Campoy and DJ Mein support Papp throughout the night.

Ditty Bops

BOHOS:
It's a little shocking that these two jazz/swing bohos do not hail from Santa Cruz--last summer's tour, during which they crossed the country riding bicycles and playing sold-out shows from Austin to Ypsilanti, is the sort of idea that seems hatched directly from the anticapitalist, pro-bike environs of the Chavez or Rigg Street Houses. Wherever they hail from--California by way of New York, for those taking notes--Amanda Barrett and Abby Dewald would likely find kindred spirits living in those loose, local collective-living scenarios. Their endearing mix of jazz, folk and swing is so genuinely eccentric that it's somewhere between improbable and stunning that a major label chose to release the group's 2006 album, Moon Over the Freeway, but anyone fearful that this has affected their strangeness need not worry. This tour raises money for Farm Aid and local nonprofits.

Stardust @ Vivid

GROWN-UP GLITTER:
Finally, a Tinker Bell night at Vivid--okay, maybe not quite, but close enough. Stardust invites all the glitzy people in San Jose to get glam in gold right along with showgirls straight from Vegas. Nasty Nick and Devious Dave will be heating things up in the main room spinning Top 40, commercial house and hip-hop to a crowd shinier than the sun. Don't expect things to get all Disney with all the shimmering everywhere, it may be Tinker Bell's thing, but it's likely to get a little more scandalous when Vivid does gold glam.

Girls Girls Girls

RED LIPS, FINGERTIPS:
Stonerokk, one of Hollywood's most versatile DJs, returns to NorCal to spin for some of the hottest girls in the Bay at Aura Nightclub. Stonerokk prides himself on mixes that transcend any one type of music. SoCal celebs like George Clooney, Kid Rock and Tobey Maguire have handpicked Stonerokk to play premier A-list functions. Join the fine ladies of the East Bay while listening to one of California's most celebrated spinsters. DJ Fabian is slated to spin in the Blue Room to make the night even sassier.

Sage Francis on the Paid Dues Tour

NO NUBES:
Though the Paid Dues Tour changed venues from the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium to the Warfield, all the best artists will still be present. Living Legends, Brother Ali, Cage, Mr. Lif, Blueprint, Sage Francis, Hangar 18 and Grouch & Eligh have been responsible for major contributions to the hip-hop scene throughout the years. Getting so much talent together in one city is pretty impressive, not to mention all in one building. Plus, the show works out to less than $5 per act, making it possibly the best bargain in hip-hop to date.

Musiq Soulchild

D'NOHA2SPEL:
Musiq Soulchild has found the perfect balance between soul music, funk and hip-hop to create hits like "Just Friends (Sunny)," which reached No. 31 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2001. Total disregard for spelling and English conventions haven't hindered Musiq Soulchild's success--from his most recent album, Luvanmusiq (read as "Love and Music"), to his first,Aijuswanaseing (read as "I Just Want to Sing"), everything he's released has caught the attention of critics and fans alike. R&B singer Crisette Michelle opens for the infamous hip-hop star.

Machine Gun Vendetta

ANTI-JACUZZI:
Looking forward to a relaxing Monday night out? One earful of Machine Gun Vendetta and you'll know you've come to the wrong place. But if you are seeking to dispel some of your angst-ridden, seditious, aggressive raw energy, look no further, my friend, you're home. This hardcore punk band hailing from Reno promises to keep your heart pounding and your eardrums throbbing. Just don't be surprised if you stumble out yearning for an anarchy tattoo on your neck. Whatever you do, don't drunk-dial your boss at two in the morning declaring your resignation, because that euphorically defiant feeling will eventually wear off and you'll still be jobless.

Ozomatli

YA SE FUE:
Ozomatli's 2007 release, Don't Mess With the Dragon, represents the cross-cultural and genre-blending originality that helped the L.A.-based group rise to Grammy-winning success three years ago. Fusing elements of urban hip-hop with Latin-flavored salsa and jazz-funk, Ozomatli's inventive jams are an ode to the diverse cityscape of Los Angeles. Upbeat rhythms and driving bass lines come to life in songs like "City of Angels," a tribute to the place the band calls home. Lyrics are often politically driven, giving the album plenty of substance and intellectual stimuli. Still, Ozomatli flourishes via powerful grooves and exuberant melodies.

Hans Keller

SHROOMS AND PABST:
Check out graffiti and tattoo artist Paco Excel's show while psychedelic rock group Hans Keller performs onstage. The band likens their sound to a heroic mushroom trip and uses the guitar, bass, drums and various electronic elements to create a crazy experimental rock escapade. The $2 Pabst Blue Ribbon special should make for an eventful night of looking at art, tripping out to psych rock and later dancing to DJ RS2 spinning the hits. Has an art show ever sounded this fun?

coming up

Fri.-Sun. Aug. 10-12, Noon
Various Venues in Downtown San Jose
$5

San Jose Jazz Fest

WHO WANTS JAZZ?:
Representatives from the old and new schools should each find plenty to enjoy at this year's Jazz Festival, which offers performances by well over 100 bands and 1,000 musicians, including headlining R&B singer Angie Stone. Concertgoers can also expect a more visually oriented festival than in years past: Attendees will be encouraged to take pictures and videos for display around the festival and on the web, and Pacific Arts Collective will be creating live art such as graffiti walls.

Tim McGraw & Faith Hill

COUNTRY DARLINGS:
The prom king and queen of county music, Faith Hill and husband Tim McGraw team up for a third round of their well-regarded Soul 2 Soul Tour at the HP Pavilion Wednesday. McGraw's recent album, Live Like You Were Dying, has grossed over $3 million in sales and won him a Country Music Award for best song. Equally impressive is McGraw's stunning better half, Faith Hill, who has recently released her sixth album, Fireflies, and is already getting CMA buzzing. The two together have enjoyed major success from their joint tours and numerous hit duets.